The latest episode of BET’s America In Black aired Sunday, July 2, featuring an exclusive interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on Black maternal health and mortality.
America in Black is a monthly newsmagazine that debuted in late February of this year in partnership with CBS, and is a blend of human interest stories, investigative reports, and high-profile interviews to provide a wide scope of commentary for and by the Black community.
Episode 6 dissects the Black maternal mortality rate, providing insight on the systemic and societal barriers, such as health, wealth status, and general accessibility, that contribute to the issue and why it persists despite advancements in medicine. Vice President Harris will sit down with Danya Bacchus from CBS News and address the ongoing problem of Black women dying at a disproportionate rate during childbirth as opposed to their white counterparts.
In a preview of the interview, the Vice President states how acknowledgment of racial bias in the health care system is a truth that must be faced.
“One reality of it, that may be hard for some people to hear, is because she’s black,” shared Harris. “When she walks into that clinic, that doctor’s office, and that hospital, she is not taken as seriously.”
In addition to the investigative segment, the hour-long program will take a closer look at the rising popularity of the Afrobeats music genre across the Black diaspora. Alongside this, journalist Ed Gordon will conduct a profile on the life and legacy of religious leader T.D. Jakes, a nondenominational Christian Pastor of megachurch The Potter’s House.
Michelle Miller will also interview celebrated artist Kehinde Wiley, who painted former President Obama for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, in a feature. Comedian Roy Wood Jr., know for his work on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, is set to provide commentary throughout the episode.